Gaming & Culture —

E3 keynote announced: Texas Governor Rick Perry

The keynote speaker for this year's E3 Summit will be Texas Governer Rick …

It may not be a sexy choice, but the ESA has announced Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) will be giving the keynote to this year's E3 Summit. Why Rick Perry? He understands that in a flagging economy, it may be a good idea to begin courting the games industry in his state. Texas has a growing game development community, and Governor Perry has begun to offer financial incentives and grants to encourage game developers to set up shop.

"Governor Perry and the E3 Media & Business Summit are both great success stories. The Governor's keynote address is especially timely given the high concentration of entertainment software developers and publishers in Texas as well as the state's long-standing support of our industry," said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. "The Governor's forward-thinking leadership in encouraging the growth and development of our $18 billion industry is a roadmap for other state executives who want to transform their state economies for the 21st century."

Unless you're involved in the business aspect of gaming, this isn't big news, but Rick Perry is a very solid choice to begin the summit. It's great to see the ESA and members of the government work together to make the industry stronger, and Texas makes a great success story in this regard.

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